Soil crushing or treating apparatus



April 28, 1953 J. w. FITTS 2,636,689

SOIL CRUSHING OR TREATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 7, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

April 28, 1953 J. w. FITTS SOIL CRUSHING OR TREATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7, 1949 T 1 m s All April 28, 1953 J. w. FITTS I 2,636,639

son. CRUSHING 0R TREATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. '7, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ay/ m z ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 28, 1953 SOIL CRUSHING OR TREATING APPARATUS James Walter Fitts, Ames, Iowa, assignor to Iowa :State College Research Foundation, Ames, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa ApplicationDecember 7, 1949, Serial No. 131,619 a This invention relates to soil crusher apparatus or soil treating apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus in which soil samples are crushed and collected in a form suitable for soil testing.

In the testing of soil samples, it has heretofore been necessary to clean the crushing or treating apparatus after each sample so as to insure that the next sample will not be contaminated with portions of the preceding sample. This makes for extremely slow and expensive testing operations. Not only must the crushing rollers be cleaned but also the entire apparatus, because dust tends to accumulate on surfaces and then to precipitate into succeeding samples. Up to the present time, it is believed that no apparatus has been designed which will permit the running of separate samples of soil in a consecutive manner in the samemachine and without requiring the closing down of the machine for cleaning after each operation.

An object-of the present invention is to provide apparatus in which soil samples may be treated successively to bring the samples into the proper granular size for testing while at the same time effecting a cleaning of the crushing apparatus so that after one crushing operation the apparatus is ready to receive a second sample for treatment. Yet another object is to provide apparatus for the successive treating of soil samples while effecting a cleaning of the crushing apparatus durmg each crushing operation and while avoiding contamination "of one sample by dust or other portions from preceding samples. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the speciflcation proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in which- Fig. 1 is a broken front view in elevation of apparatus embodying my invention, a portion of the apparatus being shown in vertical section; Fig. 2. a broken side view in elevation; Fig. 3, a broken side view in elevation but. showing the side of the structure opposite that shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a top plan view of the inlet sieve structure; Fig. 5, a top plan view of the removable tray and sieve-equipped sample receiver carried thereby; and Fig. 6, a transverse sectional view, the section being taken as indicated at line 6-4; of Fig. 1.

In the illustration given, In designates a frame which consists of four vertical standards on which is mounted a lower platform H. A motor I2 is carried by the platform H. An upper platform l3 supports a removable tray l4. v

I prefer to enclose the upper portion of the structure about the casing In so as to provide 2 Claims. (own-49) therein a crushing compartment l5. To accomplish this, I provide side plates 16, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1, and a rear plate H, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. I prefer to employ a plate [8 of lesser depth at the front of the casing and providing a space above the platform 13 for the withdrawal and insertion of the tray l4.

The tray [4 may be of any suitable structure.

In the illustration given, it is provided with upturned flanges l9 and centrally the tray is pro.- vided with spaced flanges 20.

Between the flanges 20 extends a sample box 2| which may be tapered at one end 22 to facilitate the pouring of the ground soil into a testing receptacle. I prefer to equip the sample box 2! also with a removable closure frame 23 to which is secured a screen orsieve 24. It will be understood that any suitable structure for receiving the soil and insuring that the sample received within the box 2| does not contain oversized particles or extraneous material may be employed.

A pair of crushing rollers 25 and '26 are supported within the casing and in close proximity to each other so as to crush soil passed therebetween. The roller 25 is mounted upon the fixed shaft 21 and is driven by the pulley wheel 28 fixed to the end of theshaft.

Roller 26 is mounted upon shaft 29 which carries the pulley wheel 30. 1

The ends of shaft 29 are mounted in bearings 32 slidably supported within the spaced blocks 31. The mountings are supported upon shafts 33 which extend through the casing and are ad.- justably supported in position by the engagement of wing nuts 34 with the threaded ends 35 of the shafts 33. A coil spring 36 normally urges the mounting .32 inwardly so as to press the roller 26 toward the fixed roller 25.

Any suitable means for driving the two rollers 25 and 26 may be employed. As shown more clearly in Fig. 6, a pulley wheel 31 is carried upon the motor shaft 38 and drives by means of belt 39 the pulley wheel 40 mounted upon cross shaft 4 l. A pulley wheel 42 is mounted upon the outer end of shaft 4| and drives through pulley '43 the pulley 30 heretofore described as fixedto the roller shaft 29.. r

The other end of cross shaft 4! is equipped with a gear 44 meshing with gear 45 mounted upon drive shaft 46. A pulley 41 is carried by the end of shaft 46 and a belt 48 connects pulley 4'! to the pulley 28 heretofore described as mounted upon the roller shaft 2?. It will be understood ver sieve 24 over the sample box 2|.

that any suitable means for driving the rollers may be employed.

In the operation of the rollers, there is a tendency for a susbtantial portion of the soil to cling to the rollers and I provide means for removing such adhering material. From the upper end of the casing I suspend upon pivot pins the swinging straps 49. To the inner side of each strap 49 is secured a brush 5B which bears against the outer side of one of the rollers and 26, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. In

order to support the brushes firmly against the rollers, I secure to the lower end of the swinging straps 49 a coil spring 5] and to the inner end of each spring I secure an adjustment rod 52 which extends through an angle bar flange 53 and is threaded to receive nuts 54, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The brush is preferably mounted upon a base 55 releasably secured upon the straps 49 by a bolt means 56 which permit the ready removal of the brushes for replacement or repair.

The top of the casing is preferably provided with two spaced strips 57, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 and which provide between them a longitudinal slot through which soil samples may be fed to the space between the rollers. Within the longitudinal slot thus provided, Iprefer to employ an inlet screen frame 58. The frame is in the shape of a V with the point portion thereof cut away. A screen or sieve 59 is secured to the inclined side walls of the frame 58, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 4. The ends of the screen frame 58 are provided with handles 60 to enable the inlet frame to be readily removed for dumping or otherwise removing material which does not pass through the screen or sieve 59.

The falling of the soil from the screen inlet sieve 59 and the action of the brushes 59 against the rollers 25 and 29 create some dust which in time will accumulate upon the apparatus and eventually find its way into the sample box or tray below. I have found that by placing a suction device having an inlet communicating with the chamber [5 and through the rear wall I! of the frame, the dust can be eliminated so that there is no tendency for such material to form and later to contaminate other samples. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, I provide a fan 6! within Operation In the operation of the apparatus, a soil sample is poured within the funnel inlet 58 and the portion passing through'the sieve 59 is directed into the space between the rollers 25 and 25. The

driven rollers break up the clods and large particles of soil and reduce them to a desired size, the crushed material falling then upon the low- After the crushing operation, the tray l4 may be removed and the sample box 2! lifted'away from the anchor flanges 20. The screen frame 23 may then be lifted from the box to permit the dumpthe tray and the tray returned for receiving the next sample. Similarly, the upper sieve 59 may be dumped to remove the extraneous material or large particles retained by the sieve and the funnel inlet 58 replaced for receiving the next sample.

The brushes 50 bearing against the rollers 25 and 26 effectively remove the soil clinging to the rollers and, while this operation creates dust, the dust thus formed is rapidly removed by the suction apparatus communicating with the chamber I5 through the rear wall II of the easing. It is thus found that the rollers 25 and 26 are kept clean While at the same time the dust that is inevitably formed in this cleaning operation is rapidly removed and does not settle upon surfaces where it would accumulate and then contaminate later samples.

In the operation of the structure, the brush mechanism cooperates with the suction apparatusinproducing a'clean chamberinterior. The brushes prevent the-building up of soil upon the surfaces of the rollers where-they could contaminate later samples and serve to keep the rollers 25 and 26 clean. On the other hand, while such cleaning inevitably gives rise to dust as a result of the abrasion'and brushing, such dust, together with any dust caused by the fall-. ing of the soil from the frame 58 and ,into the space between the rollers, is rapidly removed so as to provide a clean interior casing immediately after a soil sample has passed through thecrushing chamber.

The treating apparatus, as a result of the above cooperating structures, permits samples to be quickly introduced and withdrawnand without requiring entryinto the apparatus for cleaning after the several samples are passed there! through. Accurate samples are thus placed in condition for testing, each being treated in rapid succession and without the producing of contamination by one sample or the other.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth specific apparatus in considerable detail, for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Iclaim: p

1. In soil sample treating apparatus, a casing providing a chamber having a longitudinal slot. in the upper portion'thereof, a'removablesc'r'een inlet frame member having inclined walls .extending through said slot, a pair of rollers mounted in a horizontal plane in said chamber and having meeting surfaces below said inlet mem' ber, one'of said'rollers being carried by fixed mountings and the other of said rollers being carried by movable mountings, spring means urging said movable mountings toward said fixed mount-' ings, straps pivotally suspended within said casing at the outer sides of said rollers, stationary brushes carried by said straps so that the bristles thereof extend in a generally horizontal plane, spring means'drawing said straps toward each other and urging said brushes against the outer portions of said rollers, a motor driven exhaust fan communicating through an intake in a'wall of said casing and with the interior of said chamber, and a filter bag enclosing the outlet of said fan 1 2. In soil sample treating apparatus wherein clods of soil are crushed to provide test samp168, a casing providing a substantially closed chamber, a pair of rollers mounted in a horizontal plane in adjacent relation within said casing, means for resiliently urging one of said rollers toward the other, said casing being provided with an elongated slot in the upper portion thereof, a removable inlet member equipped with a screen and having inclined sides extending through said slot for directing soil between said rollers, said chamber being provided at its bottom below said rollers with a floor and with a slot above the floor for permitting the insertion and withdrawal of a tray, a sample box carried by said tray and equipped with a removable screen, means for rotating said rollers toward each other along the upper surface thereof to crush soil fed therebetween, a pair of stationary brushes mounted within said casing in a generally horizontal plane and resiliently urged by spring members against the outer portions of said rollers to remove soil therefrom and direct it downwardly and away from said rollers and brushes, and a suction device communicating through a side wall of said chamber directly with the portions of the chamber above and below said rollers, whereby the soil dust particles created by the brushing action of said brushes on said rollers are drawn downwardly by gravitational force and away from said brushes and rollers where said suction device is effective to remove the particles with the result that the brushes are self-cleaning.

JAMES WALTER F ITTS.

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